Eden Augmented
by Komodoking
Summary: Garnet descends into the heart of the temple for business, and doesn't return for hours, leaving Pearl extremely worried. When Pearl begins to speak of gem-cannibals and powerful knowledge, Steven is more than panicked, especially when Amethyst starts acting odd... what could possibly be keeping Garnet? She's been gone a long time...
1. Eden Augured

As always, it was a fairly pleasant day, and as always, Garnet was pottering around with her mystical business, the likes of which could not be explained to Steven or Amethyst. Neither did Amethyst want to listen, but Steven hounded her hour by hour;

"Hey! Garnet, what are those books?" and "Garnet, what's with the paint?", and even a cry of "Why is today's date circled on the calendar, Garnet?", however all questions had been ignored for the most of the morning.

Around midday, as Amethyst prepared herself to head down to grab some snacks (which Pearl had advised strongly against, since it may hinder her fighting ability if she got too unhealthy), Garnet disappeared into the heart of the temple.

She did not return.

In the evening, Pearl's paranoia had peaked; she knew more about the situation than the others, and her understanding, as well as her silence, was frightening- she had become very quiet, nibbling her nails as she stared, transfixed, into the swirling depths of a strong mug of coffee. Seeing her like this was not only terrifying, but also new, as neither Amethyst nor Steven had seen her this agitated before.

It was past Steven's bedtime when he spoke up;

"Hey, Pearl, where's Garnet gone?"

Pearl, after a moment of scared silence, replied; "Nowhere, Steven. Now go to bed."

In seconds, Amethyst was on her back- quite literally, causing her to spasm and knock her coffee onto the floor. "Yeah, right, Pearl! Like she's disappeared into nowhere! Come on, tell us the truth!"

"Both of you," Pearl snapped, eyes wide with anger and fear. "Be quiet. Not another word-!"

But then they'd begun chanting 'tell us the truth!' over and over, pounding their hands on the table, until Pearl broke, standing up- they knew in that second that they were in trouble, ready for a severe telling-off, until they saw Pearl walk past them, and pick up an old, tattered book.

The spine was worn and the cover was torn, the pages were ravaged by wear and weather, the musty smell of old times filling the air as, with a professional expression, Pearl cracked it open and lay it upon the table.

The title bore was 'Cannibalism in Gem Culture'.

Upon reading that, Steven felt curious, sickened, afraid, all at the same time, and he tore his eyes from the page, gazing up at Pearl with a fearful look.

"You're not... planning to eat us, are you?"

At which Amethyst clung to Pearl's leg, wailing "We're sorry! We're sorryyyyyy!" in the most obnoxious, exaggerated manner, and Pearl's expression turned from mortified to annoyed.

"No, of course not, heavens, no," she assured them with a pat on the arm, "This is part of what Garnet's doing."

"Is- is Garnet planning to eat us?!"

"No! Listen, allow me to explain."

A pale beam of electric blue light shone from the pearl resting on her forehead, and she began to explain, the holographic image of two gems appearing.

"When one of us eats another's gem, they go a little..." She hunted for a term. "Wrong. In the head. And they crave more. So, they end up eating more and more. And their own gem grows, and if the craving gets out of hand, it engulfs their entire body. I'm sorry I have to explain this to you, Steven, but you asked to know this."

Steven was transfixed by her words- but also the image her hologram depicted. It was of a gem, tearing through others, the art was simplified but it was terrifying. Why would Pearl show him this? Maybe her worry for Garnet's safety had made her forget about how young Steven was, but he couldn't take his eyes off it for a second as the gem of the hologram grew and grew, the whole body becoming immersed in it.

He wondered for a second how Pearl's hologram was so... vivid.

Coughing, Pearl continued, wiping her brow below her gem with an embroidered handkerchief. "On another topic, there is rumoured to be a 'Volo Scientes', or 'Knowing Gem'."

She paused for a moment, before adding, "It literally translates to 'I want to know', and it's created of such intense, condensed knowledge that it would surpass the mental limits of any living gem! That is the fate that befell an... old friend of Garnet's, many... many years ago..."

She became rushed, as if she wanted to get it all over and done with, suddenly snapping the book shut (with Amethyst's fingers inside, since she'd been drawing moustaches on the illustrations), and scurried to the entrance of the temple, the great and mighty door that Garnet had descended into hours ago, without return.

"Amethyst, get Steven to bed. No staying up playing video games!" She opened the gate, stepping through it, giving one last cry of; "If I don't come back by the morning, Amethyst, you come in after me, but for the love of- don't let Steven go!"

Then she descended into the temple, the door sealing behind her, leaving Amethyst and Steven stood, silent. Moments passed with an odd, uncharacteristic silence between the two, then Steven piped up.

"Amethyst, do you-"

"Go to bed, Steven."

He froze. That was so unlike her, it was scary. Her face was painted into a look of morose fear, as if she couldn't grasp the gravity of the situation but dearly wished to, and it was so atypical to her that Steven had to take a step back, to make sure it was really her, not some imposter or sleepless hallucination.

Then her smile was back, but it trembled, and the mask wasn't entirely opaque; Steven could see the helpless worry that lay like a weathered old coat of paint below it, and she managed a half-hearted laugh, as if she were trying to reclaim her boisterous, exciting nature.

"And in the morning, we can play all the video games we like, we'll go down to the arcade and try and beat your high score on Road Killer, huh?" she chuckled wanly, giving him a weak slap on the shoulder, "And we'll get to the fry place early, eat fry-bits like a second breakfast, no matter what Pearl says."

Steven didn't answer, until he finally mustered the courage to ask;

"Amethyst, what's going on?"

This time, Amethyst didn't answer, she just went to the window and sat there, staring up at the moon; like a wide, glaring stone, the carbon-black night compressed into a brilliant diamond. A full-moon night, how cliché, Steven thought, he'd once stayed up all night before with Amethyst, watching cheesy werewolf movies. But this was odd; the moon was never so bright, or so brilliant, or so...

Pulsating.

"Bedtime now, kid," he heard her mumble from the windowsill, her voice far away, as if all that fire inside her had flickered out and left nothing but ash. "We'll explain when Pearl and Garnet get back tomorrow morning, ok?"

He didn't have the will to argue. For the first time, Steven felt horribly, horribly tired. Just so exhausted that he might collapse and sleep for hours, until Garnet picked him up and carried him to bed, just like she always did.

Shakily, he climbed the stairs, going to his room. Tucking himself in, he held his Cookie Cat plush in a frightened embrace, as if he could already smell a nightmare coming like an elderly person sensing a storm, and sunk below his covers until he could only barely see the glare of the moon watching him.

Steven wanted his mother, he wanted her to scoop him up into her arms and tell her it was alright, and sing to him. He wanted dad to come in and tell him that he was a big, strong tiger, to reassure him and make him feel safe.

Slowly he slipped into sleep, deeper and deeper, until he was in a sound, unshakable slumber. The brightness of the diamond moon did not bother him.

And neither did the chaos from deep within the arteries of the temple.


	2. Eden Eradicated

A younger Garnet, a more innocent Garnet, delicately wove strings of strange, wild flowers together, a faint smile playing at her lips, placing the finished length of chain on the ground as she began another. Although her fingers were thick, harsh from training as she practiced summoning the mighty gauntlets she'd been promised, she was exceptionally tender in her movements, as if caring for a wounded animal.

So she sat, for a long time, in that meadow. Youth and sweetness had bonded on that day, in that pastel place that seemed to overflow with virtue- distant and soft, with stretching acres of pale, wonderful flowers, and in the middle, the core of it all, was a tall tree, gnarled and crooked yet still graceful, an aging beauty queen who had never lost her touch.

Garnet, in this alternate Eden, felt that all was right with the world; her heart was young and loving, everything seemed to wrap itself around her in a perfect blanket of brilliance, safety, and a darling sense of purity that made her sigh contentedly, putting her work aside and stare at the rolling clouds.

The tiny voice on the other side of the tree said;

"Um, Garnet... you okay?"

At first, Garnet didn't realise she'd been asked a question, so it took her a moment to reply with a small 'hmm?', followed by a smirk and a 'yeah'.

"Good. Good." The other gem was smiling now, Garnet could tell, a sweet smile that was gentle and soft. "Say, uh, Garnet, I really like hanging out with you."

"Ditto, Moony."

A quiet laugh sounded, as small as the fragile petals. "Makes me feel like I can be myself. Like you get me, y'know?"

"I know."

Garnet chuckled, leaning back against the tree, closing her eyes as the day's gentle light, from the middle of a mid-day amber sky, warmed her face.

"Yeah, you know. I want to know."

That made Garnet cock an eyebrow, letting out a hum of inquiry, wondering whatever her friend could mean by such an addition.

"I... I want to know things. I want to learn..." Then the voice from behind the tree became thick with wonder and mystery, a child recounting a fond memory, and as her eyes remained closed Garnet pictured the smile that may have crossed the other's face. She felt warm and peaceful, her chest rising and falling as she sighed.

"I'm going to find the Volo Scientes."

The fine, pronounced voice that the other had now adopted startled the young gem somewhat, and she sat up.

"Moony?"

There was no reply.

Then the young Garnet was gone, the innocence was gone, and everything was burning- gardens and gardens of impervious utopia scorched and blackened by the pillars of fire- the screaming was unbearable, and an older, tainted Garnet was at the center of it all, trying in vain to save them all, _she had to save them all. _There was howling, keening, wailing, her mind was tearing itself to pieces, her gauntlets gripping tightly at grasping, choking bodies and pulseless wrists as the amber sky turned black with smoke until carnage was all she could see.

Garnet woke up.

She was so tired, all three of her eyes burned. A weak groan was all she could make. Deflated, she felt like she'd been hit in the stomach, sick and feeble, twitching. She couldn't recall ever feeling so helpless, so hopelessly faint and frail. Lurching, heaving, she coughed, tasting her own blood in her mouth. It was all so dark. All so...

Where... was she?

That's right. The Bloodstone Chamber. Deep within the arteries and ruby veins of the temple it lay, walls covered in pulsing black worms snaking over them, reaching for the ceiling in an attempt to escape, clawing at the cracks.

It was bolted, and tight. Nothing gets in. Nothing gets out. Unless if they had the key, which Garnet had donned around her neck, like the backstage pass to a concert, as she strolled with a mighty air through the cold, desolate corridors. It was like a prison. Like a hospital. Like an asylum.

Now here she was, lying on the cold floor, a half-painted symbol of some cryptic origin unfinished below her. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, damnit, she was supposed to carry out the ritual and leave, she was supposed to be taking Steven to the funfair by now, not lying on the stones with a broken nose and shattered teeth-

A guttural chuckle sounded above her, taunting the futility of her sudden thrash as her hand shot out, ready to grab at that great, spiked ankle, jagged and jutting like a gnarled pillar of rock. Her hand was stamped upon, a heavy heel coming down on the back of it, her gem pressed tight, the pressure unbearable, agonising.

Voice in a death-rattle, the living cliff of ragged, matted hair, wild eyes reflecting off its body's own filthy gleam, whispered something about the Diamond Moon, but Garnet didn't hear a word. She was too busy reaching out with her free hand for the paintbrush, still wet with paint, if only she could complete that devil's diagram then this entire nightmare would be over.

Dull blue aches turned into white-hot pains as the heel pressed down, and she cried out- which turned into a loud, commanding bark, all eyes widening with fear as she felt a jagged, cold, lipless mouth engulf and enclose her hand.


	3. Eden Embarked

Pearl was not back by morning.

Daybreak came, although the moon was still high, riding alongside the sun in a way it surely was not supposed to, and Steven danced downstairs in a flurry of pyjamas and energy, eager to greet all three of his best friends with gusto and boundless questions. When he realised that Amethyst sat at the table alone, he was concerned- even more so when he noticed that her breakfast consisted only of a rather drab-looking bowl of cereal, which she had barely touched, aside from poking it sideways with a spoon.

"Amethyst?" he said, voice full of childish worry, "Where's... where's Garnet and Pearl?"

The only reply he got was a low grunt. Amethyst didn't even glance to regard him. She just continued with poking at her food, before shoving it away with a low murmur of, "I've lost my appetite."

Tagging along like a friendly puppy, Steven bounded after her as she trudged to the window. "Hey! You never lose your appetite, Amethyst, this isn't like you! C'mon, some pizza will make you feel better!"

The promise of the leftover pizza didn't cause Amethyst to even bat an eyelid, she only sat down on the windowsill, just like last night, staring up at the moon- it looked like a second sun, even brighter in the light of day, a pure, polished diamond. Steven had to shield his eyes from it, but Amethyst just gazed at it, eyes narrowed.

"Has the moon got something to do with it?"

Amethyst froze at the question. She'd been told, quite strictly by Pearl (then again, Pearl told her everything quite strictly, whether it was to keep a secret or do the dishes) not to let Steven know anything of the events. Not the Bloodstone Chambers, not the Bloodstone Circle, not the incidents that both Garnet and Rose could recalled with a shudder. None. Of. It.

So they sat in silence, Amethyst feeling less energetic than she ever had in her life, Steven confused and concerned. He reached up and held her hand. That's how they stayed for a while, not exchanging their usual childish banter, not even glances, just holding hands to extract any dregs of vain comfort they had left as the worry made them both sick.

Amethyst's walkie-talkie- the one she carried just in case, from the pair Pearl had begrudgingly agreed to share- began to buzz at her hip.

She whipped it out so quickly sparks nearly flew at her hands, the item's holster in danger of bursting into flames. It barely had time to buzz twice before she was answering it, present and correct, pressing it close to her ear with endless hope in her eyes.

"Yeswho'scalling?" she blurted out in one breath, nearly bouncing in her seat as Steven perked up next to her, listening in.

"It's me, Pearl." Those words made them both nearly squeal with excitement, relief and joy flooding through them as their every worry seemed to just flush out. "I'm in the veins of the temple. Garnet's fine, just a little dinged up, but it's nothing a little TLC won't handle. Don't either of you worry. Just stay calm. Meet us in the Carotid Passages, we'll be right there."

"Woah, woah, woah. Isn't that, like, five minutes away from the you-know-what chamber? Isn't that totally dangerous?" Her voice lowered to a sideways mumble. "The place you told me not to tell Steven about, never-ever?"

A haughty tutting came from the other side, scolding such an idea. "Heavens, no, do you think I'd do that to Steven? I assure you, it's completely safe. I wouldn't let a child enter someplace dangerous! Whether it happens to be Steven _or _you..."

Amethyst snorted. "Fine, bossy. If you're sure..."

"I am sure!"

"Yeah, yeah. See you there."

She tucked the walkie-talkie into its little holster again, looking far more cheerful than before, her usual grin spread wide across her face. It was as if all the sunshine had exploded back into her body, all the worry and care leaving her, turning her back into the loveable bundle of mischief Steven was used to. He laughed with her, eyes bright.

"Oh! Amethyst! Do you think we should bring snacks? The Carrot passage must be a pretty long way, right?"

"That's right, Steven, the Carrot passage!" She laughed loudly, slapping her knee. "You're a riot, Steven. Snacks, now you're talking! How does pizza sound?"

Whooping, Steven began fixing a packed lunch for the journey, filling two lunch bags- no, three, they might need more- with pizza, cookies, chocolate bars, sandwiches, cans of cola, anything they'd need to keep their energy up. He shoved them into his burger backpack, making sure not to crush them, but he remembered to bring the essentials; an inflatable raft, a scarf, and an oversized sweater his father tried to knit. It had loose stitches and frayed edges and the pattern, which was supposed to be a cookie cat, looked a little wonky, but he loved it just for the love put into it.

"Ready, champ?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

Steven practically leapt after her, unable to control his anticipation, endlessly excited for this mission. Not only a mission, but a secret, dangerous mission? Garnet was going to be so proud of him! He shook with laughter, tagging after Amethyst, who chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"Easy, Tiger Millionaire. Stay behind me, and don't poke anything. If we get into trouble, Pearl will squawk at me until she turns blue. Squaaaaawk!"

Both of them were sent into fits of giggles, Amethyst squawking and flapping her arms, until they were breathless. After they calmed down (and survived a second outburst, after Steven let out a small 'squaaaawk'), Amethyst approached the temple gates, watching them slide open welcomingly, and they entered.

"Uh, Amethyst? Where is the... 'you know what' chamber?"

There was a pause, before Amethyst went to her walkie-talkie.

"...Pearl? Yeah, we're gonna need directions..."


End file.
